Shipping has been delayed in Lake Ontario until April 1 in an attempt to ease potential lakeshore flooding.

Now there are talks of that date being extended as late as April 15.

That decision for the delay was made after a meeting of the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board.   

Greece Town Supervisor Bill Reilich is a member of the board and one who pushed for the shipping delay.

"We've gotten consensus and we've delayed that so far till April 1. And I think over the next couple of weeks, through March, we're going to see where the water is at and if need be we're going to extend that beyond that April 1 date to hold back shipping," said Reilich.

While the delay could provide relief for lakefront homeowners, it could also be a punch in the gut for the shipping industry.

Members of the Chamber of Marine Commerce say they are disappointed about the delay because of its economic impact.

The organization's President & CEO, Bruce Burrows, says the shipping industry and its customers could see up to a $100 million loss in the 12 days of lost shipping. He says ships are already stocked with cargo at the ports.

"The marine sector, our shippers and ship owners are pretty disappointed by the delay in the season...so that delay is going to be quite a cost on the Canadian side and also affecting some of the supply chains going across into the border on the US side," said Burrows.